Let’s celebrate 2022 The year is coming to an end and what better time to reflect and celebrate all of our achievements in 2022? With the help of our incredible supporters, we have helped vulnerable children and families living in Kampala’s slums to survive and thrive! So sit back with your favourite festive tipple and reflect with us as we look back at 2022 … 1. Schools reopening in Uganda after longest closure in the world
Back to school for children in Uganda
Schools in Uganda closed for over 22 months due to COVID-19. This was the longest school closure in the world and is estimated to have caused a 2.8 year deficit in education in Uganda. In January of this year, schools in Uganda reopened and we were excited to welcome the children back to our Encouraging Education project and School Sponsorship programme. Although we welcomed the news of schools reopening, the impact of the worlds longest school closure will have a devastating impact on children and their futures. It is estimated that 30% of children did not return to school.
Read our blog here to find out more about the effects of Covid-19 on education in Uganda. 2. Provided free education to 253 children in Kampala In 2022, we provided education to 253 out of school children. School in Uganda is not free, and for those living in Kampala’s slums, it is next to impossible to afford education fees for their children. Our free Encouraging Education project and School Sponsorship programme provide free education to out of school children living in Kampala’s slums. To find out more about a typical day in our Encouraging Education project watch our day in the life video here.
We have also had continued support from our child sponsors this year. We would like to thank all of our generous child sponsors and we look forward to entering the new year with you. 3. Feeding Futures Our Feeding Futures appeal has so far raised £35,475.50. Thank you! We entered 2022 hoping to wind down our food banks after the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Ultimately, our aim is to provide opportunities for families to lift themselves from poverty and for families to afford their own food.
A family receiving a food parcel
However, as we entered the new year with a cost of living crisis, our communities still needed the support of our food parcels. Our Feeding Futures appeal meant we were able to continue providing vital food parcels to families in crisis this year.
Read our CEO, Olivia’s, blog on why sustainable, long term support is important for families to lift themselves from poverty. 4. International Women's Day conversation In March, we celebrated International Women’s Day and opened up a conversation about women within the charity sector. This year's theme was ‘Break the Bias’, and aimed to highlight the problems of gender in the sector. We conducted an interview from the perspectives of someone who is experienced in the sector, our CEO and co-founder Olivia, and someone at the beginning their career, our intern, LJ.
Highlights and key topics of discussion that came up during the interview can be found in our International Women’s Day blog or you can watch the full interview below.
5. Delivered 262,500 meals to vulnerable families As part of our Feeding Futures appeal we have delivered 3500 food parcels to vulnerable families in 2022. With this year’s cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic, we scaled up our food banks. Since the beginning of this year we have provided families with 262,500 hot nutritious meals! Watch Feeding project volunteer, Obvious’, Day in the Life video below to see your donations put into action.
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6. Miles In Their Shoes
One of our fundraisers sporting our Kids Club Kampala T-shirt!
Our Miles in Their Shoes 2022 challenge event was a huge success, with a total of 17,558,773 steps walked! It was an incredible team effort and went on to raise a whopping £4789.11. This is enough to provide 11,224 meals. We would like to thank and congratulate everyone who took part! This year, with the help of the World Walking team, we planned a virtual 1,148 mile route around Uganda, celebrating Ugandan culture and exploring its natural beauty. Our supporters (virtually) visited the natural wonders of the Ssippi Falls, and the bustling cities of Gulu and Jinja. Are you interested in taking on the Miles in Their Shoes Challenge in 2023? Fill in our Register your Interest form here to be first to hear news about next years challenge. 7. Carpentry renovation and graduation This year we renovated our carpentry building and can now offer vital income generation skills to even more people. With all the extra space, we’ve increased the intake on our Carpentry project to 20. This means that more people will be offered the opportunity to lift themselves from poverty with vital, lifelong skills. This year we have supported 39 adults with carpentry training! Each of these graduates received a starter tool kit to help them find employment following their graduation. In a year when the cost of living has increased, there is no better time for adults to gain a skill that can lead to a sustainable, regular income. With the recent expansion of our carpentry building, we can’t wait to see what comes in 2023 for our carpentry project.
Before After 8. Reintegrated 30 vulnerable children with loving families
This year we have rescued 44 children from abandonment and abuse and cared for 88 children at our Ewafe home. We have reintegrated 30 vulnerable children from our Ewafe home back into the community with family members and loved ones. We also had our first ever international reintegration, reuniting Paul* with his family in Rwanda. You can read Paul’s story here.
9. Provided period products to 3000 girls
Girls receiving period products
Period poverty continues to be a big barrier for teenagers and young girls in Kampala’s slums. This year we have provided period products to 3000 girls allowing teenagers the freedom they deserve to live their day-to-day lives without letting their period affect them.
10. Celebrated our 13th birthday
This year we turned 13! I know, we can’t believe it either. It was a fantastic opportunity to come together to reflect on our achievements over the past 13 years with the help of our amazing supporters. Just to pick out a few, over the past 13 years we have:
Reached 300,000 people across all our projects so far.
Provided 45 million meals to hungry children and families.
Made free education available to 1,000 children.
11. Provided 3500 counselling sessions to vulnerable children and teens This year we have provided counselling sessions for people who have been abused, neglected or need support in any way. Counselling is available to vulnerable children and teens through our Protecting projects and Girls Support Groups. These sessions are vital to helping young people through the struggles they face day to day in Kampala. Poverty only exacerbates issues such as neglect and abuse, and providing a safe space for them to work through these issues is crucial. With your support and generous donations we have been able to provide 3500 counselling sessions to at risk children. 12. 176 Knitting and tailoring graduates This year we have provided knitting and tailoring training to adults in Kampala, giving them the opportunity to earn a sustainable income from a life-long skill. Through this we have had 176 knitting and tailoring graduates, many of which have gone on to start their own businesses and earn income through the community. Our 2023 Hope Centre will only build on these opportunities, and give more adults the chance to lift themselves from poverty. Find out more about our vision for the hope centre here.
Let's hear from one of our graduates, Amaya*:
Amaya making a dress
“I am so grateful for the opportunity Kids Club Kampala offered me as a mother to learn a skill that is currently helping me to survive and look after my children. I pray that the project grows and reaches more and more mothers like me in this community” - Amaya* 13. Brand new Foster Care programme In 2022 we launched our Foster Care programme. We identified 19 children in need of foster care. We have now trained 8 foster families to take on and care for vulnerable children. 4 of these families have been assessed by the local authorities and we will hopefully officially place some of the children staying at our Ewafe home into these safe foster families in 2023. The new Foster Care programme is vital, especially as the cost of living crisis continues. Families are struggling and many are unable to afford even the most basic necessities. As a result, many children are vulnerable to abandonment and neglect. The new Foster Care programme allows these children to move back into the community and be raised within a loving family. 14. Communities came together to fundraise This was a great year for fundraising thanks to our wonderful supporters. Let's hear about some of the challenges that were taken on this year: Nick and Ed Sunday 9th October Nick and Ed ran the Shrewsbury half marathon to raise money for Kids Club Kampala. They raised an incredible £407 for children and families.
Nick and Ed at the finish line
“We were very pleased to support a charity that has the ability to do a number of things within a specific locality that makes a great difference to the life of a community.” - Nick Shustoke Primary School The children at Shustoke took on the challenge of a cross country fundraiser which raised an amazing £1275.26. The money raised went towards our Feeding Futures appeal. Without our community fundraisers, we would not be able to reach as many people in Kampala’s slum communities as we have. Thank you for helping kids in Kampala survive and thrive! Make 2023 the year you fundraise with Kids Club Kampala.
15. Saturday Kids Clubs We have played, laughed and learned this year at our Saturday Kids Clubs. Here, we made friends, learned about God, and relaxed in a safe environment. In 2022 we hosted regular Saturday Kids Clubs involving around 756 children. 16. 24 talks around the UK in Churches, schools and workplaces
Fundraising Manager Jess giving a presentation to a church
This year we have loved visiting communities and meeting all of our wonderful supporters. We have made lifelong friends in our supporters and enjoyed discussing our impact in Uganda. In 2022, we visited and talked in Churches, schools, Rotary Clubs and workplaces across the UK. If you would be interested in having us visit your community or would like to find out more don’t hesitate to contact us at info@kidsclubkampala.org. 17. 4 sponsored children graduated This year we have had 4 children graduate thanks to the support of our School Sponsorship programme.
Rachel at her graduation
“In the future I hope to work in the hotel industry, and one day I hope to set up my own restaurant” - Rachel* Rachel began her sponsorship journey in 2011 and has graduated this year with a diploma in Hotel and Institutional Catering. Congratulations Rachel! Read Rachel’s story here. 18. Christmas Poem On the 1st of December, we celebrated the year with you, our amazing supporters. The night was filled with festive fun with quizzes, songs, dance and games, along with some beautiful messages of hope. One of the highlights of the evening was listening to our Christmas Poem read by Sanyu, Annet and Sandra who work in our Ugandan office. Don’t worry if you missed it, you can watch our Christmas poem below!
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Share the Kids Club Kampala poem with your friends and family this Christmas. 19. New football pitch enjoyed by 50 teenage boys
Team Kids Club Kampala!
In June we renovated the Namuwongo football pitch to make it fit for play! Due to poor drainage and flooding, the pitch was too damaged and unsafe for kids to enjoy a kick about. The children have enjoyed playing and practising their football skills on the new pitch. 20. Biggest Big Give so far
What a way to end the year! Our Big Give 2022 Christmas Challenge raised an incredible £33,625.50 (including gift aid and offline donation). For one week only we were match funded by pledgers and The Reed Foundation, meaning that everything raised in that week would be doubled. We received an incredible 107 donations. All of the money raised will be going towards our Hope Centre in 2023. A huge thank you to all those who donated, shared and supported our 2022 Big Give Christmas Challenge.
To find out more about our Hope Centre read our Cycle of Poverty blog here. 21. Reached over 300,000 people over 13 years Since Kids Club Kampala was founded in 2009, we have reached over 300,000 people across all of our projects. This year, with your support, we continued to expand our projects to reach even more vulnerable children and families living in Kampala’s slum communities. 22. Drumroll, please …
In 2022 we have raised over half a million pounds for vulnerable children and families in Kampala’s slums. There is so much to look forward to and we are so glad to be going into the new year with you, our amazing supporters. We couldn’t have done it without you! Please raise a glass and cheers with us as we look forward to the incredible things to come in 2023. Invite a Kids Club Kampala speaker to visit your church, school, Rotary Club or community group in the new year. Email info@kidsclubkampala.org to arrange a visit.